dcfandomcom-20200222-history
Countdown Vol 1 28
, the Suicide Squad track down the Trickster and Pied Piper at a diner. Trickster catches wind of them, and the two former Rogues duck behind a counter. The Squad bursts in through the doors and apprehend Double Down. Trickster activates an invisibility field in his cloak so that the Squad cannot find them. At NORAD, Buddy Blank, Karate Kid and Una continue to converse with Brother Eye. Brother Eye is cold and calculating, but Buddy's young grandson is the only one present to treat the artificial intelligence with a modicum of respect. Elsewhere, Mary Marvel, drunk with power, begins brandishing her own ironic sense of justice against perceived evildoers. In Nepal, she miniaturizes a group of poachers, forcing them to flee from their prey. In the Amazon rainforests, she creates four hundred sentient trees that will bleed and scream if cut. In Florida, she uses her magic lightning to instantly age a cell block of death row inmates. Meanwhile, the Shadowpact consult with Madame Xanadu and monitor Mary Marvel's activities. They decide that she must be stopped at all costs. On Earth-8, the Challengers from Beyond continue fighting against Lord Havok and the Extremists. Monarch and Forerunner appear before them and begin fighting the Extremists as well. They are not here as allies however, and have brought along their own combatants to help them with the fight - the Crime Society of Earth-3. The Crime Society begins fighting both the Challengers and the Extremists. Forerunner gets the drop on Donna Troy. Holding Donna's limp form in her arms, she snidely remarks "Ready for round two, displaced Challengers?" | StoryTitle2 = The Origin of the Trickster | Synopsis2 = James Jesse was once part of a family of circus aerialists known as the "Flying Jesses". He developed a pair of anti-gravity shoes, which he referred to as his Air-Walker Shoes. Rather than patent the invention, Jesse instead used his unique talents for criminal purposes and became an adversary of Central City's protector the Flash. James worked closely with other villains known as the Rogues Gallery, and was present the day that the Rogues murdered the fourth Flash - Bart Allen. | StoryTitle3 = The Origin of the Pied Piper | Synopsis3 = Rich kid Hartley Rathaway was born with congenital deafness, but his wealthy parents paid for a miracle cure, which provided Hartley with an acute ear for music. Hartley learned how to strike musical notes that could mesmerize other people, and turned this gift into a means of committing various crimes. Calling himself the Pied Piper, he became a recurring adversary of Barry Allen, the second Flash. Hartley worked closely with other villains known as the Rogues Gallery, and was present the day that the Rogues murdered the fourth Flash, Barry's grandson - Bart Allen. | Appearing1 = Featured Characters: * * * * * * ** ** ** ** Supporting Characters: * * * * ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** * Antagonists: * * ( ) * * * ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** Other Characters: * Locations: * ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Items: * * * 's invisibility field Vehicles: * Suicide Squad battle van | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Antagonists: * (Panel split between both origin pages) ** ** ** ** ** ** Other Characters: * None Locations: * ** Items: * 's Air-Walker Shoes Vehicles: * None | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Antagonists: * (Panel split between both origin pages) ** ** ** ** ** ** Other Characters: * None Locations: * ** Items: * Vehicles: * None | Notes = * This issue shipped on October 17th, 2007. * Includes DC Nation editorial #83 by Eddie Berganza; Countdown to Halloween. * The Forager appeared last in ''Countdown'' #40. * Although not revealed in his secret origin spotlight, Trickster's actual birth name is Giovanni Guiseppi. | Trivia = * The tagline to this issue is "Bug Out!" * First issue of the series to feature two secret origin spotlights. * "The Origin of the Pied Piper" provides Hartley's prison number, #F106-OU812. This refers to his first appearance in Flash 106 and also contains a reference to the 1988 rock and roll album "OU812" by Van Halen. Phonetically, it translates to "Oh, you ate one too" | Recommended = * 52 * Countdown * Countdown: Arena * Countdown: The Search for Ray Palmer * Countdown to Adventure * Countdown to Mystery * Countdown Presents: Lord Havok and the Extremists | Links = * Countdown article at Wikipedia * Countdown series index at Comicbookdb.com * Countdown series index at the Grand Comics Database * Countdown article at Newsarama * Countdown Counseling at Silver Bullet }}